OBAMA DETAILS AFGHANISTAN PLANS: President Barack Obama will deliver a major address at West Point today aimed at recalibrating American foreign policy and fighting back against criticism that U.S. power has waned under his leadership. His speech will push for substituting the use of American military might with other types of U.S. power, like diplomacy and economic pressure, and it will kick-start the White House’s effort to define the president’s foreign and national security policy.

His address follows his announcement Tuesday that the U.S. will keep a robust force in Afghanistan next year but then withdraw it by the end of 2016—a move intended to promise a war-weary public an end to the 13-year-old conflict, while showing anxious allies that America isn’t abandoning them. Mr. Obama is also close to approving military training program for the armed Syrian opposition, responding to criticism that the U.S. hasn’t done enough to help the country’s moderate rebels. Adam Entous and Carol E. Lee report.

–Rebecca Ballhaus

NEIL KING JR.: OBAMA FACES CALLS TO OPEN UP TO CUBA
President Obama is coming under renewed pressure from businesses and the diplomatic community to make bigger shifts toward Cuba, particularly on the trade and diplomatic front. Although administration officials familiar with Cuba policy say the room to maneuver is limited, it’s clear that the political calculus surrounding the island isn’t what it used to be. Read Neil King Jr’s full post in Washington Wire.

WSJ STORIES YOU SHOULDN’T MISSHALL LOSES RUNOFF: Republican Rep. Ralph Hall, the oldest member of Congress, lost his runoff election in Texas Tuesday night, becoming the first incumbent to lose this election cycle. Mr. Hall was defeated by former U.S. attorney John Ratcliffe, who won with 53% of the vote. Elsewhere in Texas, Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst was defeated by radio host Dan Patrick, further demonstrating the tea party’s power in the state. Nathan Koppel reports.

CORRECTION: In the runoff election in Texas Tuesday, radio host Dan Patrick soundly defeated Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, demonstrating the tea party’s power in the state. A previous version of this post said Mr. Dewhurst won.

Associated Press

COCHRAN PLAYS OFFENSE: Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran is facing his first competitive race in 30 years—but his supporters are breathing easier, as the 76-year-old Republican continues to powerfully counter a challenge from tea-party candidate Chris McDaniel. A win for Mr. Cochran in the June 3 primary would cast a heavy blow to the tea party nationally, since political analysts see him as the movement’s last chance to unseat a Senate incumbent this year. Janet Hook reports.

Reuters

DEMOCRATS TALK UP HEALTH LAW: Democratic candidates are employing a campaign tactic that would have amounted to political suicide just a few months ago: bragging about the health-care law. In at least half a dozen competitive Senate and gubernatorial races, Democrats and their allies are airing TV ads that directly support the law, highlighting its most popular benefits and attacking Republicans for trying to repeal them. Laura Meckler reports.

JERRY SEIB: PREVIEW OF OBAMA’S WEST POINT ADDRESS
President Obama will give a speech at West Point’s commencement exercises today addressing his foreign-policy agenda. Washington Bureau Chief Jerry Seib gives his predictions on what the president will tell the nation.

HERE’S A LOOK AT THE DAY AHEAD
--Obama’s Diplomatic Message: President Obama will deliver a commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point aimed at recalibrating American foreign policy and fighting back against criticism that U.S. power has waned under his leadership, 10 a.m. EDT.

–VA Scandal: The House Veterans’ Affairs committee will hear testimony from Veterans Affairs’ officials related to allegations of false recordkeeping and long wait times for appointments at the agency’s health-care facilities.

WHAT WE’RE READING AROUND THE WEBMichael Crowley of Time explains why President Obama is leaving almost 10,000 troopsin Afghanistan after combat operations were to close at the end of this year. Among the reasons: “Americans are much more able to conduct counterterrorism operations than the Afghan security forces,” and residual U.S. troops will still be able to conduct drone missions into Pakistan’s “notorious” tribal areas next door.

The victory by Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party in Indiais just as momentous as it seemed at first blush, writes Hendrik Hertzberg of The New Yorker: “It portends huge changes in economic and social-welfare policy. It threatens India’s secularist traditions and imperils its non-Hindu minorities, especially the country’s Muslims, who are as numerous (about a hundred and seventy-five million) as Pakistan’s.”

In the WSJ’s Think Tank, Drew Altman saysthe proper lesson of the problems in launching Obamacare and in running the VA medical system isn’t that government can’t function well or that the president should work around officials in charge of such operations, but rather the those officials should be empowered to find the right talent and cut through red tape and then be held accountable.

TWEET OF THE DAY‏@GrahamBlog: President Obama is repeating some of the same mistakes he made in Iraq. #Afghanistan@GrahamBlog:Announcing that all US forces will be out after 2016 emboldens the enemy. #Afghanistan

FEEDBACK: Welcome to the new Capital Journal Daybreak newsletter, the Journal’s morning rundown of the biggest news stories and exclusive features from Washington on politics, policy, financial regulation, defense and more. Send your tips, feedback and suggestions for recommended reading to editor Kate Milani at kate.milani@wsj.com.

About Washington Wire

Washington Wire is one of the oldest standing features in American journalism. Since the Wire launched on Sept. 20, 1940, the Journal has offered readers an informal look at the capital. Now online, the Wire provides a succession of glimpses at what’s happening behind hot stories and warnings of what to watch for in the days ahead. The Wire is led by Reid J. Epstein, with contributions from the rest of the bureau. Washington Wire now also includes Think Tank, our home for outside analysis from policy and political thinkers.